Hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year, and thank you to the new reviews and followers :) Guest - I don't know what you mean, all my chapters are happy happy happy (it only goes downhill from there)

Clear water glistened, reflected rays dancing and sparkling in the mid-day sunlight. Colourful fish swam below the boundary, easily drifting between the vines of seaweed and corals. Peaceful waves twisted into the earth, the dirt happily soaking the moisture. How could something which appeared so calm be so dangerous?

Jack had never been afraid of water. Why should he? After all, ice and snow were, in essence, water. Truthfully, he'd never purposefully pondered the depths of his lake or the glistening call of the ocean, but that did not mean he harboured any negative feelings towards it. The thought had never even crossed his mind.

That was until he regained his memories. Until he felt the weight of the profound abyss dragging him down, suffocating him as he tried to scream. Water filling his lungs, choking him, stinging his eyes, rendering him helpless as he continued to sink. He saw it, remembered it, felt it as though he were living it again - the light of the sky ebbing away above him in the same way he felt his life slipping through his fingers. With the lake's tides lapping around him, he shut on his eyes and saw himself choking, tears running freely down his cheeks and disappearing as they mixed with the surroundings, as though they were never there at all.

He'd never had a problem, until he watched himself die.

Now, standing three feet away from the lake's water, he couldn't even bring himself to dip in a toe. The crystal liquid appeared so serene, and harmless, but all he could feel was fear. White knuckles clenched like a lifeline to his staff, eyes staring wide ahead. Pitch was probably having a field day.

This morning, his plan was clear as crystal - he would come to his lake and teach himself how to swim. There was no doubt in his mind Aurelia would kill him if she found him 'frolicking' in her season, but come winter the lake would freeze over and his chance would be gone, and he couldn't take it anymore. Not a single night had passed since the Easter Battle when he hadn't been plagued by his fear.

Dark bags clung to his eyelids like a lifeline, and it would be a lie if he said he hadn't been avoiding the other Guardians for some time now in worry of them mentioning his state. Even considering his usual svelte appearance, he looked like all energy had drained out of him.

He looked, in all the irony, like a dead man walking.

The water glared at him smugly as the wind whipped around him, ever-present and ever-comforting. His eyelids drooped closed and he sighed, white hair ruffling in the breeze.

"I'm trying," he whispered into the wind, leaning into the comfort he knew so well.

"Perhaps I'll give it another go tomorrow?" He mused, eyebrow raised at the lake, half tempted at the idea.

An image shot through his mind, fear rising as he sank, snaky green tendrils creeping towards him from the depths.

No! Determined resolve shook within his voice. He couldn't take it any longer.

"Ok," He announced to no one in particular, voice muffled by the jumper currently being tackled over his head. "I'm doing this right now." Now iceless hoodie strewn to the side (and staff placed more carefully so), only a moments hesitation passed before the winter spirit sprinted towards the lake, eyes clenched closed. It was like ripping off a bandaid - he just had to do it.

Wind watched eagerly as his first foot entered the water, followed by another, the peace of the lake disturbed by sudden chaos and movement. Within seconds, the cool autumn water covered all but the top of Jack's shoulders and his head.

Puffed clouds followed his breaths, heart rate rising but steady. Memories swam with him, but he forced his panic back. With eyes still clenched, he waddled further, stray snowflakes following him as they lazily floated atop.

This is okay, he thought, finally allowing his eyes to open. His feet still touched the ground below, and the lapping water against his neck wasn't nearly as bad as his recollections displayed. Wind whipped around, proudness clear through the rustling branches. He laughed, though still somewhat wary, spinning and allowing the water to flow with him. How silly he'd been, this wasn't bad at all. It was almost peacefu-

Another step and the floor vanished beneath him.

In an instant, all rational thoughts escaped his mind. Arms and legs flailed in a desperate attempt for something to cling to, to kick the water away, anything, but only emptiness replied to his pleas. Against his fighting, the water seemed to have turned vicious again, its welcoming charade broken and replaced by a relentless monster. It swirled ruthlessly about Jack's head, as though angry at the one who escaped its grips so long ago. Determined, it billowed harder around the struggling spirit.

Wind whistled desperately, unable to do anything but watch as the panicked breathing turned into choking on the fluid. He was paralysed, unable to move against the grips of fear. Fate laughed down at him as he sank for the second time.

Would he die? Could he die? No, he was already dead. Would he forever remain engulfed at the bottom of his lake? No one would find him there.

Would anyone look?

Water invaded his lungs, his throat burning as he tried desperately to breathe. This couldn't be happening, not again. How stupid could he be - leaving his staff behind, the one thing that could've saved him? Against the weight of the water, his arms and legs grew heavy. Their attempts to move were becoming tiresome, only aiding to sink him faster. Tears swirled around him, saltiness melting into the surroundings.

In some ways, it could have been peaceful, if you listened to the swish of the waves and felt the delicate brush of the seaweed, but Jack only felt terror. The dark was sinister now, not like the peaceful night that often kept him company. Instead of twinkling stars, only emptiness stared back at him. Pressure from above forced him further and further away from the surface.

Seizing limbs protested his distressed movements, his strength ebbing like his remaining oxygen. A soft thud resounded, announcing his presence at the bottom. He stared up with heavy eyelids, blue eyes shining, the sand around him erupting from its dormant state as he felt his consciousness begin to slip. How poetic, he mused in a dry chuckle, that the very water he rose from he should fall prey to again.

He wondered if the Guardians would notice.

Silence fell around him, his clogged ears oblivious to the drifting chorus. With closed eyes, his thoughts wafted in and out of consciousness, darkness enclosing him. The burning in his chest had ceased, but the weight of his limbs still held him down, rendering him paralysed. He didn't even have the strength to fight the tugging on his arm, nor when the world erupted into light around him.

Wait.

Slowly blinking his eyes open, Jack took in his surroundings. Everything was hazy but bright again, and through his water-shot eyes still seeing stars, he could just make out the trees around him. What? Had he dreamed it all? The cold damp clinging to his clothes suggested otherwise. His limbs felt sluggish, his heart still pounding in his chest. There wasn't enough energy left in his body to lift his head off the ground. He imagined he probably looked somewhat drunk, then chuckled at the thought. Water burnt as it slid back up his throat, retching rather than laughing and contributing to the growing puddle by his head.

The light was far too bright, and he felt as though he'd been zapped, so he slid his eyes closed again, attempting to block the oncoming thudding at the back of his head.

He was met with a harsh slap to the face.

"M-wha?" The words jumbled in his mouth, sounding more like a grunt than a question.

He peaked his eyes, which had just about recovered from the shock of the light, open. A very soggy Aurelia glared back at him. If he was less dazed, he may have noticed the concern, but right now all he could make out was anger.

"What on earth do you think you are doing?" She seethed, though she didn't move her hand which held support under the winter spirit's limp head. "There's snowflakes all over my season!" All was a bit of an exaggeration, but the accumulated ice patterns were surely enough to attract the attention of the warmer spirit. They floated eagerly atop the water, a few stray ones running off to the damp earth which was now decorated with crispy white frost.

It took a few seconds for the spinning in Jack's vision to slow down. He glanced at Aurelia, wet droplets gleaming on her usually perfect hair. Oh dear.

"Swimming?" He answered, though it sounded more like a question. More water surged up his throat and he had to turn to the side to avoid angering her any more. He doubted watery vomit would put anyone in the best of moods.

"You're not very good at it." She scoffed, remarking the obvious. Soothing hands rubbed circles around his back. She wasn't sure how there was any water left in the lake with how much the winter spirit was coughing up in front of her.

"Better?" She asked once he'd stopped throwing up. He held his hand in a thumbs up as a reply, still sprawled sideways and breathing heavily. "Excellent." She clapped her hands and stood up, leaving Jack's head to thump to the floor. "Up." She demanded at him, holding her hand out for him to grab onto. A small wobble later he stood too, legs wobbling slightly beneath his paler-than-usual complexion.

"So," she mused, reaching down to retrieve his staff and hoodie. Instant relief crossed his face as he caught it, swirling ice erupting immediately. "Care to explain?"

"Not particularly."

"It wasn't a suggestion." Warm wind swept the clearing and she gracefully hopped onto it, intricately swirling her hands to melt Jack's ice trail and add a fresh coat of orange to the falling leaves. Blooming vines climbed the trees, latching themself onto the ageing bark. Wafts of crispy leaves floated behind her, and her usual autumnal aroma, smelling like crisp air and freshly baked pumpkin pie, followed after. Through the corner of her eye, she could see him fighting himself, presumably whether to tell her the truth or to come up with some sarcastic comment and fly off. After a moment he sighed, his shoulders sinking as he made up his mind.

"I drowned."

She rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Funnily enough, I noticed that." The breeze was slowly drying her, but damp patches were still evident on her clothes and her ringlets weren't fully tamed yet.

"No, I mean-" He sighed in frustration and rubbed his hand down his face. Should he really tell her? He knew the others hadn't died when they'd become Guardians, and he guessed it was the same for seasonal spirits. Aurelia didn't need any more reasons to see him as a freak. But after deliberation (and considering the fact she had jumped in the water to save him), he decided on the truth. "I died before I became a spirit. I didn't know I was anyone before I was Jack Frost, but I recently found my memories and it's all I've been able to think about since. I close my eyes and feel myself drowning over and over again. I couldn't take it anymore."

That wasn't what she had been expecting. She'd never seen any other side to him than a little twerp who messed with her season. She stared at the bags highlighted under his eyes, which suddenly seemed dimmer than usual, less mischievous and full of life. "So you tried to teach yourself how to swim?"

He nodded, not looking at her directly.

"But it didn't go as planned."

"Evidently." He scoffed. He turned, hiding the anger from his face else he said something he regretted. He'd just shared something very personal and the best she could do was make fun of him? Grip clenched around his staff, he called to his wind to take him away, but his feet had barely lifted off the ground before he felt a hand clasped gently around his wrist.

"I could teach you," blush rose to her cheeks as she pulled him back down, looking somewhat sheepish. "If you wanted."

He was too stunned to reply. She was shocked herself - her dislike (to put it kindly) towards the winter spirit was a well-known fact in the spirit community. But she couldn't stomach the thought of someone as young as himself going through something so traumatic and then having to live with it, not being able to do anything about it. Everyone had their share of nightmares, but relieving your death… she shuddered at the thought.

"Are you sure?" He asked tentatively, not quite trusting her still.

"Yes," she replied calmly, then remembered she was supposed to be the stern seasonal. "Don't think this means I like you though."

She nudged him, prompting a chuckle as the two flew up through the trees.

"I wouldn't dream of it."